Real Madrid WILL bid £35M for Man Utd's Ronaldo

Real Madrid will lodge a £35 million bid for Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo before the end of the season.

Sources close to Real sports chief Pedja Mijatovic have told the Independent that the Spanish side expect United to stonewall advances for their biggest asset but are banking on the player's head being turned by the prospect of becoming the club's biggest signing since the capture of Zinedine Zidane from Juventus in 2001 and the prospect of replacing David Beckham, not just on the pitch but off it as the new face of Real.

A £35m deal would be the third biggest of all time, behind Zidane's £44m move and Luis Figo's £37m switch from Barcelona to Real.

A source close to Mijatovic said last night: "The club have decided to make an offer for Ronaldo that will be very difficult to refuse".